In this issue

SCHOOL NEWS
Staff News
Volunteer for Hearing/Vision Screenings
New Special Areas Website
Student Contact FormsDue Tomorrow
The Ocee Learning Commons Needs You
S.T.E.A.M. Home Challenge: What can
you do with.?
PTA NEWS
Were Not There YetHave You Joined
PTA?
Accelerated Reader Begins Today
Mark Your Calendars for Family Movie
Night
Reflections Art Contest
COMMUNITY NEWS
Calling All Girl Scouts!
Concorde Fire Soccer Club
ADHD Workshop
Community Guilds STE(A)M Truck
Boys Jr. Raider Basketball Tryouts
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

I hope you will enjoy the Labor Day holiday this

coming Monday, September 5, when school
will be closed for students and staff. Dont
forget that students will also be home on
Tuesday, September 6; however, Ocee staff
will report to school for the first of three Ocee
ES release days. We have a variety of learning
experiences planned for staff on
Tuesday. Northeast Learning Community Program Specialist,
Cathy Crawford, will be presenting information to all staff about a
variety of co-teaching models and strategies. Pam Weiser, CST,
will instruct teachers how to help students successfully navigate
reading texts online in her presentation on digital literacy. Sheila
Connell, AP, will share information about integrating additional
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) strategies
into classrooms in order to ensure a calm and focused learning
environment. Shannan LaPorte, Ocee Math Coach, will continue
her training on teaching math while stretching students thinking
about number sense. The Ocee Personalized Learning Team
will deliver additional information about the 7 principles of
personalized learning.
So while Ocee families are extending their weekend, Ocee
teachers and staff will working hard and continuing to learn!

Sep. 1AR Begins

Sep. 1Spirit Day
Sep. 2Spirit Wear Orders Due
Sep. 2Student Contact Forms Due
Sep. 25th Grade T-shirt Orders Due

Sep. 5Labor DayNO

SCHOOL
Sep. 6Ocee Release DayNO
SCHOOL for students
Sep. 7Hearing & Vision Screening
Sep. 9SGC Meeting 7:15 a.m.
Sep. 11Ocee Braves Day
Sep. 16Parent GA Milestones Mtg. 7:45
a.m.
Sep. 23PTA Exec. Meeting 8 a.m.
Sep. 23Ocee PTA Movie Night

Ocee Release Days:

Sept. 6, Oct. 7 and Feb. 3

Sincerely,
Debbie Pernice

Staff News
We were very proud when this past summer, Ms. Connie
Harwood, longtime clinic assistant, was promoted to a cluster
nurse position in the Fulton County Schools system. Ms.
Harwood spent several years here tending to cuts, bruises,
tummy aches and sniffles and helping our students manage a
variety of ills. After posting the position and interviewing many
qualified applicants, we are thrilled to add Ms. Joni Armbruster to
our staff in the Clinic. Ms. Armbruster is an Ocee parent who
received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the
University of Nebraska Medical Center. While we will miss Ms.
Harwood, your children continue to be in good hands! Welcome,
Ms. Armbruster!

Pam Weiser, Curriculum Support Teacher (CST), has taught a variety of grade levels in addition to
supporting teachers here at Ocee in her current role. She shared her expertise in the teaching of
reading here for years, both as a teacher and as the CST. Ms. Weiser has recently accepted a
promotion in Fulton County Schools to serve as a Literacy Program Specialist. She will be working with
teachers and schools around the county sharing strategies designed to help students improve their
reading skills. We are sad to see her move on, but glad that she will have an opportunity to positively
impact students in other Fulton County schools. Ms. Weiser will start her new position on September
12. The Ocee interview team, composed of teachers and administrators, will be reviewing applications
and scheduling interviews for prospective candidates in the coming weeks. We know you will join us in
wishing Ms. Weiser well in this new career endeavor.

__________________________________________________________
Volunteer for Hearing/Vision Screenings
As required by Board policy, Ocee screens some of our students for hearing and/or vision issues every
year. This year, on September 7th, first graders will be screened for vision, third graders for hearing
and vision, and fifth graders for vision only. Volunteers are greatly needed to help us process such a
large number of students quickly and efficiently. Volunteers are trained on the morning of the event and
are only the first line of the process. Students who fail this screening are then rescreened by an RN.
Only if they fail a second time with the RN are letters sent home to the parents.
This is a fun and easy way to spend some time helping Ocee students. If you can volunteer some of
your time, please go to:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4eafad2dab9-hearingvision.

__________________________________________________________
New Special Areas Website!
Did you know that at Ocee, the Special Areas Team consists of art, PE, music, TAG, speech, EIP,
ESOL, Pre-K, STEAM Lab, and the Advanced Thinking Strategies position? We pride ourselves on
working together to combine our knowledge to further student learning each day. Did you know that
Special Areas now has a website that links you to each disciplines website and helps to keep you up-to
-date on all of our happenings?
Please find all of this information and more at
www.oceespecialareas.weebly.com and be sure to check back regularly for updates!

__________________________________________________________
Student Contact FormsDue Tomorrow
Hopefully you were able to review your childs Student Contact Form during Curriculum Night. If not,
the form was sent home with your child. Please review it and mark any changes on the form, sign the
form and return it to your childs homeroom teacher. Even if you do not have any corrections, please
sign and return the form. We use this as a back-up in those instances when the internet is not working.
Please return to your childs homeroom teacher by Friday, September 2, 2016.
Also, please note that we know a great many of you live in Johns Creek. However, we have to have the
legal address of Alpharetta as that is the actual zip code. Therefore the city cannot be changed to
Johns Creek in our data system.

__________________________________________________________
THE OCEE LEARNING COMMONS NEEDS YOU!!!
Ms. Hutcheson and Mrs. Scholberg are ready for the 2016-17 school year, and they have been working
very hard to make the Learning Commons better and better! Our kids have many new ways to explore
learning with us, and so our need for volunteers to help keep the Learning Commons running smoothly

is now greater than ever. Any amount of time you can give, great or small, will be much
appreciated. The Learning Commons staff looks forward to working with you and so appreciates the gift
of your valuable time.
Volunteering in the Learning Commons is a great way for new parents to get to know the school and
the staff, and the students love to meet and have the help of volunteers when they visit! So, come join
the fun!!! We look forward to seeing you!
Please visit the following Sign Up Genius links to volunteer over the coming months:
To sign up between August 15th and October 14th
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/5080B4EAFA62CA02-theocee3
To sign up between October 17th and December 22nd
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4EAFA62CA02-theocee4

__________________________________________________________
S.T.E.A.M Home Challenge:
What can you do with?
We are having so much fun in the STEAM Lab at school, so lets continue the fun at home! We will
have about two challenges each month. For each, your job as a family is to find an innovative way to
make an everyday object brand new. Once you have created your object, email a picture of it (with your
family in the photo) to hanks@fultonschools.org. All pictures will be posted (without names) on the
website oceesteamlab.weebly.com and a sampling of pictures will be posted (without names) on a
bulletin board in school (please do not bring the object to school). Participation in the STEAM Home
Challenge is optional, but encouraged. You may participate once, twice, or every time! This challenge
is for families of all students in grades PK-5. Challenge due dates are:

Sept 9: a cardboard paper towel roll

Sept 23: a can of playdough (you may use the can, the playdough, or both)
Oct 7: an old book
Oct 21: an empty plastic bag
Nov 4: some buttons
Nov 18: a straw
Dec 9: some post-it notes
Jan 20: a paper plate
Feb 3: a cardboard box
Feb 24: some cotton balls
March 10: some paperclips
March 24: a ruler
April 21: some marker caps
May 5: an inflated balloon
May 19: empty plastic water bottle
Directions: Create something (anything) using any size or brand of the challenge item .
Goal: The project should be designed to perform a specific function or task, and actually work. The
project should be well constructed.
Constraints: The item listed for the challenge should be the focal point of the project. You may use
any additional materials. The only rule is to BE CREATIVE!

WERE NOT THERE YET! HAVE YOU JOINED PTA?

Show that you value your childs education and that you desire to make Ocee the best school in North
Fulton by joining and giving to the Ocee PTA. PTA membership forms can be downloaded here and
turned into the school through your childs backpack.

__________________________________________________________
ACCELERATED READER PROGRAM BEGINS TODAY!
Accelerated Reader Program (AR) kicks off today! AR is a computerized reading comprehension
program designed to motivate and increase independent reading. The 31-week program, sponsored by
the PTA, is offered to first through fifth graders. AR is an optional enrichment program, but all students
are encouraged to participate in order to build reading and comprehension skills. We use a racing
theme to track progress and make the program more fun and engaging for the students. Your children
may visit the computer lab to take quizzes Monday through Friday from 7:10-7:35 AM and in their
classrooms when time allows. More details about AR will be sent home in your childs Thursday papers
or you can visit the PTA website. Keep your car moving along the racetrack by taking quizzes!

___________________________________________________
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Ocee's Movie Night will be back on Friday, September 23rd, and we will be showing Ice Age: Collision
Course!
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy a fun family event! Doors open at 7:00 PM and the
movie begins at 7:45 PM. Pizzas will be available by the slice and the concession stand will have
popcorn, candy, drinks and more. Movie Night registration coming soon!
Volunteers are needed!! Want to volunteer? Contact Emily Lavretta.

__________________________________________________________

REFLECTIONS ART CONTEST

Have you considered participating in this years Reflections contest? There is still time for your child to
enter! Your child can choreograph a dance, produce a film, write a poem or story, compose a song,
take a picture or create a piece of visual art and tell us his/her interpretation of the theme: "What is
your story?"
Click here for more information and area specific requirements. All entries must be submitted to the
front office by Friday, September 30th! Have questions? Please contact Meghana Gokhale.

CALLING ALL GIRL SCOUTS!

Troops are forming at OCEE grades K-5!
tracybsmith1@yahoo.com.

Please contact Tracy Smith at 404-435-2999 or

__________________________________________________________
Concorde Fire Soccer Club
Concorde Fire is Johns Creeks Premier Soccer Club. We offer programs for kids ages 4-19 and all
levels. All of our programs are run by professional coaches. Concorde Fire has been ranked in Soccer
Americas Top 30 Clubs in the USA for the past 8 years. Visit us at www.concordefire.com/campsprogams for more info or contact Mike Gailey at 770-875-6929.

__________________________________________________________
ADHD Workshop
The Summit Counseling Group will be offering a free ADHD parent workshop to discuss behavioral
strategies for helping students with attention problems. The ADHD & Parenting workshop will take
place on Wednesday, September 14th, from 7:00 7:30 pm at the Summit @ Mount Pisgah
Campus. Seating is limited, so those interested are encouraged to call ahead and reserve a seat
(678) 893-5300.

__________________________________________________________

Community Guilds STE(A)M Truck

The Community Guilds STE(A)M Truck is coming to Roswell! This 1-day event is free and open to the
public on September 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Don White Park. Projects will include making
art spinners and art bots from deconstructed electronics, creating your own hand held garden from
clay, and a rocket-propelled paint project where together well take turns blasting paintballs from a
rocket launcher and make our own community masterpiece. Join us and bring a friend.

__________________________________________________________

Boys Jr. Raider Basketball Tryouts

Come tryout for the 5th grade Jr. Raider Boys Basketball team. Talented 4th graders are also welcome
to tryout. Players must live in the Alpharetta High School attendance zone. An open gym will be held at
AHS on Sunday, Sept. 11 from 5:30-7 p.m. to practice drills in preparation for tryouts. Tryouts will be
held on Sept. 18 at 6-7:30 p.m., with additional tryouts for selected players taking place on Sept. 25
and Oct. 2. Please visit our website at www.jrraiderbasketball.com to learn more and to register online
for tryouts.

__________________________________________________________

Georgia Tech would like to welcome you back to school for the 2016-17 school year by inviting you to
be our special guest at a GT football game.
One free ticket per student and all orders must include a paying adult. Call 1-888-TECH-TIX with any
questions!
GT v. Vanderbilt
GT v. Duke
Saturday, September 17th
OR
Saturday, October 29th
Kick-off: 12:30 pm
This offer is only applicable to elementary school children from K to 6th grade.
Claim your ticket: TogetherWeSwarm.com/SchoolDays